Sleepy House Over Yonder
by MangoSupaStar
Summary: The adventures of Risa Jenkins, her rise through the UAA, introduction to the future No More Hero and the unusual twists and turns that come with any relationship involving Silvia Christel. I don't own jack. Reviews are appreciated.
1. Steel Python

Pain coursed throughout her body as the opponent slammed her to the grassy field. Her beam katana flew across the arena. "Fuck!" she screamed, holding the decrepit man back with her forearm. In some strange turn of events, Dr. Peace had somehow managed to pin himself on top of Risa. "Now, I don't want to mess with that sweet face of yours." He commented creepily, holding onto her jaw tightly. "Fuck you!" she grunted, holding his heavy body with all her might. Beads of sweat emerged around Dr. Peace's face, dripping and arbitrarily splashing onto Risa's face, her own body producing sweat.

Dr. Peace trailed one of his dual golden revolvers down her body, admiring the sight. "Get off of me, fuckin' perv!" she roared, her voice echoing loudly through the stadium. She was finally able to rebuff the old man. The man stumbled while Risa bolted to retrieve her prized possession. The two stared one another down as the minutes crept by. With full speed ahead, she began to charge towards the man as he stood upon the mound. "_It's time you hit the grave._" She shouted voraciously in her mind. Her adrenaline began to palpitate throughout her body; she swore she was undergoing an out of body experience. Risa was only a mere yard away from Dr. Peace before her attention was averted to a red, bright flash before her. She watched Dr. Peace stumbled to his knees, blood spewing from his neck in which he clung to tightly. She stopped in her tracks; her face has twisted as if she had just swallowed a dose of bad medicine. "Excuse me! But that was _my _kill!" Risa protested, anger swelling in her chest.

The man nonchalantly turned his head towards her after kicking the deceased adversary's corpse onto his back. He peered over his tinted glasses, sucking his teeth. "Too bad." He curtly replied, ignoring her protests. Her caramel colored cheeks reddened with anger, it was a wonder as to why she hadn't wacked him with her own beam katana. He walked past her, following the sounds of woman deemed extremely familiar to Risa's ears. "Well done Travis." The woman congratulated, two men named Talbot and Weller (who were incredible opposites of each other) with vacuums strapped to their backs strolled past her. They cleaned the bloody mess in the center of the stadium. Risa was confused. "Silvia!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "I'm sorry; he beat you to the kill." Silvia retorted, her voice drowning in a French accent. Risa was stunned at Silvia's bold yet uncaring attitude. Her leather boots stomped across the field, her eyes meeting Travis's glasses.

"You do it again and I swear on my own grave I'll wipe _you_ from existence." Risa warned, her eyes glowering with rage. Travis shrugged, "Whatever kid. Don't you have homework to be doing?" he teased. This was a blunder. Risa's face flashed into an awful maroon, her hands gripped her beam katana. "KID!" she screamed menacingly, her katana thwacked Travis's skull, sending him towards the ground. Silvia chuckled silently. Travis was wincing in pain; he could feel the heels of Risa's boots press against his back. "You call me that again and I'm killing you." And with this, she stormed out of the stadium, furious at her loss. "Damnit!" she yelled, thrusting a fist into the air. She ambled to her motorcycle, revving its engine. She could feel the air violently rush, blowing her long black hair crazily in the wind. Risa never paid much attention the aimless pedestrians waltzing on the street. Nearly smashing them if they didn't jump to the safety of the sidewalk, she was much too lost in her unexpected defeat. "_That fuckin' pussy._ _He stole that ranking fight from me!"_ she hissed while passing the Santa Destroy High School, a bane of her existence.

She returned her attention back to the short journey ahead of her, spinning the street corner and pulling into a fairly dilapidated storehouse tucked away in the far corner of Santa Destroy, California. She jumped from her motorcycle seat, swaying her hips and winking at a gawking pedestrian as she walked into the large entrance of the warehouse. She slid her beam katana into a storage case to the right of the entrance, the only light being the sun shining from the windows. "I'm assuming you lost." A deep female voice questioned while her back turned to Risa. Risa clucked her teeth, "And you would assume this how?" she retaliated irritably. The woman spun around slowly, her eyes glared behind yellow tinted, black rimmed glasses. The woman's gigantic breasts were on the verge of combusting from her matching black and yellow provocative outfit, her legs crossed seductively. "I assume this because you're as quiet as a mouse." She replied, ignoring the younger woman's petulance.

Risa sighed heavily. "I was so close to ripping Dr. Peace's guts from his chest cavity," she paused, her unforeseen defeat still sinking in, "and out of thin air, some jack-off comes and literally rips his vocal chords from his neck. Can you believe that Naomi?" Naomi shrugged her shoulders and turned to her science project scattered about the metal frame desk. Risa rolled her eyes at her elder sister. "If it pleases you, I also find Travis Touchdown to be a bit of a nuisance." Naomi moaned after Risa, who was now ripping her black leather jacket from her body and tossed it onto a rack nearby. Risa stalked up the stairs to the apartment above the storehouse, her body was writhing in pain from being slammed onto the ground. She walked into the average sized bathroom; the bathtub was to the far left of the room. Her hands gripped the knobs, turning on the hot water, steam immediately filled the room. Risa began to undress, dropping her clothing onto the floor. Before she could soak her body, her cell phone began to vibrate incessantly. Risa sighed, scrambling to find it lodged in her pants pocket.

"Risa," the French voice blared into the speaker phone, "I have another ranking match for you." The woman huffed, "Yes and I know you want me to pay a hefty sum." Risa bluntly stated before Silvia could continue. The woman gasped and giggled haughtily, "Well it seems you are learning something." She joked. "I'll have the money in a day or two." Risa informed, ready to hit the end button her phone. "I shall see you then!" Silvia cheerfully told her. Risa placed the phone onto the bathroom counter, stepping into the warm tub feet first. An ecstatic moan escaped her lips as the hot water soothed her aching muscles. The business of assassination proved far bloodier than what she had seen on arbitrary videos online.

To most, the 25 year old Risa Jenkins would be considered a failure. She followed in the footsteps of her more prominent and older half-sister Dr. Naomi, completing an advanced degree in Radiology. Unfortunately, unlike Naomi, she found no passion to make a career from what knowledge she had gained. Finding herself strapped for money, on a sunny day in Santa Destroy, the blonde Silvia Christel haphazardly discovered Risa twirling her Tsubaki Mk-II around in an empty bar. Risa was nearly on the edge of passing out she had drank so much, but somehow in her state of a drunken stupor, she managed to agree to sign up for the UAA or United Assassins Association. She hadn't realized the full consequence of her actions until the following day when Christel sent her a bill fee for the ranking match. To a vast majority of the human population, killing the dangerous pariah's of society was a job deemed foul. Unlike the majority, Risa found grand pleasure in this wicked competition.


	2. Stop Hangin' DJs

The music pumped from the speakers. Risa's body glided down the silver pole, her legs twisting into an intricate arrangement, holding her body upside down. She watched playfully as aged business men flicked their hard earned money onto the stage. This was her means of gathering approximately $250,000 in the span of forty-eight hours. Her best friend, Shinobu Jacobs, an African-American youngster who donned a large silvery white afro, usually accented with a flower, glared at her friend from the corner. Shinobu never enjoyed watching Risa use her body to exploit and suck these pitiable men dry.

They met in the most awkward of situations. Risa had just been shifted from an all-girls high school in her native Okinawa, Japan. Her time spent in Japan by no means bode well. Coming from a background of the daughter of African-American Marine by the name of Leroy Jenkins and local inhabitant Takahashi Misako spelled excommunication from the second of conception. Not to mention fact that she was the product of an extramarital affair added fuel to the fire.

According the society's undeclared guidelines, the moment her mother gave birth to a bushy, curly haired, caramel skinned child; her now ex-husband shoved the divorce papers in her face. The man effectively took custody of Naomi whom Risa didn't know anything of her existence until fate would have they bump into one another in Guan's Supermarket. More or less sixteen years after the debacle. However, Risa and Shinobu were locked into a head to head battle, only when they realized they were unable to defeat the other that the decision to be friends was made.

From the corner of her eye, Risa could see Shinobu's hand place calmly against her Three Girl's Rhumba sword. Shinobu was known to attack those who touched Risa during a performance. She twirled her hair seductively, eyeing the sweating, balding man leaning in close to the stage. His fat belly was protruding from his shirt, the buttons on the verge of bursting off completely. She slowly unhinged the buttons on her shirt throwing it onto the stage, rocking her hips to the music. Her stimulating lingerie exposed to the crowd, hoots and hollers revealed suddenly. She smirked, laughing to herself. The music began to wind down, the men shuffling back to their chairs. She scooped the money, stuffing the bills neatly into her bra.

She made her way to the dressing room, plopping herself into her chair. Shinobu was quickly behind her. "I'm telling you. There's another, decent, way to come up with the money for ranking fights. Why not use the Job Centre?" She pleaded. Risa kissed her friend's cheek in a friendly way, shrugging off her words. "I'm fine Shinobu. I'm quite sure no one is going to harass me with you around." Shinobu snorted in exasperation and left her friend to sit outside and wait. Risa watched her leave the room before finishing dressing. She jostled her feet into her battered black and red converse after she hopped into her jeans. Once she tore into her Pure White Lover Bizarre Jelly t-shirt, Risa grabbed her black and silver satchel, shoving the metal door open. She heard a loud thud and the noise of a man cursing in vain. "What the hell dude?" Risa cried, flinging the door back, astounded at who she just socked.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite otaku!" she cheered, bending over to examine Travis's condition. A red mark covered his face, his glasses were lopsided. "It's a fancy seeing you here yourself." He snapped, straggling to his feet. He was barely taller than Risa. She tilted her head, scanning him up and down. "You know, if it weren't for how anti-social and socially disgraceful you are, I'd find you halfway attractive." She mocked, giggling innocently. Travis rubbed his face, settling his glasses in place, "Is that what you tell all your clients?" he retorted. Risa laughed even harder, "You're quite the comedian." She stated sarcastically, beginning to leave. She strolled down the hallway, throwing Travis a farewell gesture, his eyes captured by her rear end. Before she opened the door that led to the outside world, she glimpsed over her shoulder, "You can stop checking me out now." Travis blushed.

Risa stepped over the threshold, the night air blowing in her face. With the door slamming shut behind her, she got onto her motorbike and sped off towards the nearest ATM.

The woman roughly wiped the sweat from her face; she bent over to wipe the smudge of blood from her shoes. Risa had just annihilated a swarm of men blocking her way to her next opponent. Walking over to her left, she took a small restroom break, noticing a standard sized glowing neon blue box situated directly in front of the port-a-potty. She broke open the box, finding a chest of rechargeable batteries. "I may just need this." She murmured, glancing at her radiant rose pink Tsubaki Mk-III. Once she stuffed the batteries into her pocket, she jogged over to the studio warehouse, creeping her way inside of the dark cavern-like arena that seemed to be a cult movie set.

"How well fare my enemy?" a male voice greeted from behind her. He flicked on a blinding light, revealing a plethora of used cardboard boxes, directors chairs and an enormous green screen hanging up on the wall. Risa shielded her eyes from the light, clearly seeing a post office worker with bulging muscles glide closer to her. "Can you cut the crap?" she interjected, already becoming annoyed with his antics. The unknown gentleman cackled, his hands on his hips. He ambled closer to her, extending his hand. "You must be the iniquitous Risa Jenkins?" he greeted in a roundabout way. She bit her bottom lip softly, "Josh Harnet or may I say Destroyman?" The man flashed his pearly white smile. "Why not play fair? A handshake of good sportsman ship?" he suggested, pushing his hand even further into her space.

She found herself uneasy towards his sneaky gesture of sportsman. Examining his hand carefully, her left hand placed on her beam katana, she eased it out of its holster, burning his hand and short circuiting the cheap toy that would've been used to zap her. Destroyman yelled, he blew his hand crazily, the smell of burning flesh filling the studio with an awful stench. "You bitch!" he shrieked, Risa shuffled away once she saw his entire appearance transform. In the split of a second, Josh Harnet converted himself from the everyday postman, to a superhero-type character. His costumed blazing in red, white and blue, a mask that covered all but his eyes, nose and mouth. He laughed maliciously, his suit somehow giving him the ability to fly. "What the fuck am I looking at?" she whispered, obviously taken aback.

Before she was able to answer her own question, Destroyman shouted, "Destroy Cannon!" and with this a ball of laser shot from his crotch. Risa scurried behind a metal column, dodging the energy that whizzed past her. "Jesus Christ!" she shouted, moving away from the column while he shot a laser beam around the room. It was a few minutes before she could compose herself, shifting away from spinning light, once more finding herself jumping out of the way. Only this particular incident, she figured out the source of his abilities – the lights. He stumbled in the air, catching himself. There were two rotating flashing lights placed on either side of the entrance. She smiled mischievously, placing herself in front on the second one.

"Come and get it asshole!" she screeched, tricking him into knocking out the final light, sending him smashing into the cold concrete floor. Risa bolted towards him, impaling the Tsubaki Mk-III into his back. Surprisingly, this did not kill him. Destroyman was writhing around the floor, struggling to get to his feet; she yanked her beam katana from his back, the crimson liquid gushing from the new wound. Destroyman was panting heavily, holding onto his wound. Risa had pierced a gaping hole through his chest cavity. "This isn't the end wench." He panted, his blood pouring down his suit. Risa giggled at his impending doom. "You want me to take you out of your misery now or later?" she mocked, rising the beam katana upward like a baseball bat. Before he had the opportunity to answer, her katana swung low with vengeance, dissecting him.

Risa shook the blood from her beam katana, admiring the sight lying at her feet. "I'll take it you wanted it now." She answered, the sound of tennis shoes thundering behind her. "Oh fuck! You got here before me!" Travis growled. Risa glanced over her shoulder, passively nodding at him. "Karma's a bitch ain't it?" With this, she spun on her heels to depart, but Travis grabbed her arm, yanking her in front of him. "Gettin' cocky aren't we?" he inquired, staring her straight in the eye. Risa smiled wickedly, running her fingers through his jet black hair. "Shouldn't you be talking about yourself?" she replied, kissing him on the cheek, staining it with magenta lipstick. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Talbot and Weller coming to collect their duty. Silvia was not too far behind. "I had best be going now." Risa informed and catching the bag of money Silvia tossed to her. Travis was enamored by her presence. Even long after she left the studio, he could smell her perfume surrounding the place.


	3. Senton Splash Tunnel

The blinking neon sign of a half-naked woman pranced above the doorway. Underneath it was a sign spelling, "_Santa Destroy's #1 Strip Club."_ Travis pulled his pants down slightly, paying at the front doors which lead down a steep darkly lit walkway. He turned right, entering the main section of the strip joint. In the center of the room, stood a high stage and with two slim poles running through them on either side. Hip-hop music was already pumping from the DJ's booth and by now men occupied a good portion of the front row seats. Travis seated himself in the far corner of the room, propping his feet on the small round table. A scantily-clad waitress sashayed her way to his table, offering him a drink in which he hastily refused. He was here for one reason. To see Risa Jenkins in action, his only friend Bishop Shidux, who owned a video game store named Beef Head, on the east side of Santa Destroy frequented this place.

Bishop had a bit of an infatuation with Risa, despite the fact he was currently entangled in a violent relationship with his erratic girlfriend. She often sent him e-mails, commanding him to die in bold, capital letters. Risa had yet to be onstage. Travis fiddled in his pocket in the meantime, ignoring a text message from Silvia Christel. She had suddenly latched onto Travis; it was more than he could stand at the time. He stuck a toothpick between his teeth, spinning it with his tongue. He was growing impatient as time wore on. He had checked the time on his phone for the fifteenth time before her name was announced and her eager fans cheered. Risa's left leg peeked from behind the royal blue curtains; she was wearing brown and black cowboy boots. She ever so slightly swayed from behind the curtain, the chanting becoming louder. With one hand placed on her cowboy hat and the other on her hips, she pranced towards the center stage.

She twirled, flashing her patrons a coy smile. She bent over just a bit, giving them a peak up her skirt, which left little to the imagination. The tassels on her leather top jostled about while she rolled her bare midriff. Travis could see one man began to sweat frantically. His concentration switched back to Risa, who now placed both hands onto the left pole, sliding down into the splits. Travis dropped his feet from the table, scooting forward in his wooden chair to get a better look. Risa unzipped the top and threw it to the side, exposing her breasts. He was in amazement watching her dance humorously about the stage. Her complex moves on the pole had been perfected from years of this profession. Before long, he found the crotch of his pants becoming increasingly tighter.

The song soon began to wind down, but not as she saw Travis in the corner. She laughed silently to herself, finishing her routine, taking a curtsey. Travis watched her skip backstage; he decided to stay in his seat for a bit longer. He was not exactly eager to show the earth his hard-on. Now backstage, Risa zipped her top back together and fixed her clothing. "Jeane, I'll be right back." She called to the next performer. Jeane motioned her acknowledgment rushing to the stage. As Risa sauntered through the back hallway that led to the main room, she snaked behind Travis's chair; it took restraint to keep her from snickering. She placed her hands on his shoulders, spinning his chair around. He gave a surprised expression. "I hope I didn't startle you?" she questioned, leaning forward closer to his face. "I find it amusing that you're here." She rattled, trailing her fingers down his chest.

Travis had yet to respond. "I assume the Shidux told you where I work?" she demanded softly. Travis nodded his head and Risa smirked before exhaling. She stood up straight, her hands still on his shoulders. Travis felt nervous and she precisely what she was doing. As the next song started up, Risa rang her fingers through her hair, allowing her thick wavy strands of hair to fall over her shoulders. She rocked her hips to the music, her fingers pulling the skirt down inch by inch, exposing her elaborate fleur de lis tattoo that stretched across her pelvis. Travis's gulps could not be heard over the music. The temperature rose gradually. She turned her body, seductively bending over, revealed her lace undergarments. She glanced over her shoulder, winking at Travis, whose face was now beet red at this point. Risa stood up, still dancing; she straddled him against the chair, her hands tracing his pointed jaw line, her lips close to his ear.

"Someone is a happy boy." She purred gently, their lips meeting. The song ended and applause erupted. Travis snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Risa giggled, taking in his cologne. "So _this_ is what you're ignoring me for?" the woman blurted annoyingly, Risa's head shot upward, catching sight of a furious Silvia tapping her foot against the carpeted floor. She crept from Travis' lap, fixing her clothing. "It's a pleasure seeing _you_ here Christel." Risa flaccidly welcomed, Silvia ignored her, yanking Travis's arm. His face flushed violently. "I didn't know you were taken?" Risa asked inquisitively, her eyebrows cocked. Travis stuttered to speak as he was being dragged out of the strip club. Right as Silvia got to the outlet, she turned to Risa, her face scowling, "From this moment on, those involved as UAA assassins are forbidden in romantic pairings." She proclaimed, yanking Travis once more out of the doorway. Risa laughed to herself, finding Silvia's blatant trivial jealousy amusing.

She watched the door slam shut behind them, walking back to the backstage room to step out of her costume. Now inside of the room, she noticed Jeane sitting at her locker. "I didn't know you gave private lap dances." Jeane murmured from her station. Risa shook her head before responding, "It's just an old friend of mine." She unzipped the top, throwing it into her locker, while stepping out of her skirt. Jeane sucked her teeth, eyeing her coworker. Risa finished dressing, waving good-bye to Jeane, she left the strip joint. The night summer air was humid and sticky.

The days clambered by sluggishly. At long last, Risa had acquired the ranking fee, resulting in $350,000. By this point in the game, the nervous sensation was long gone. She actually enjoyed extinguishing her enemies, torturing them until their last breath passed. She sat on the edge of her queen-sized bed, zipping up her trademark leather boots. Her dark jeans were skin tight, accentuating every curve. She pulled on her white tank top, showing her belly. After donning her black vest, Risa grabbed her beam katana and skipped down to the first floor of the storehouse. Her sister, Naomi gestured her goodbye, she knew full well what the held.

Risa pulled into an abandoned dry field. The golden brown grass standing tall, she could hear the mass scorpions lurking about. She warily perused the pasture, creeping stealthily down the rusty underground entrance. She jerked the doorknob, swinging the corroded door open. The passageway was dark and murky. She could detect a swarm of masked minions, the light reflecting from their beam katanas. Risa popped her neck, her hand on the Tsubaki Mk-III, thrusting it from its holster, she charged at the minions, her beam katana clashing with the first crony. She managed to push him backwards, impaling him quickly in the chest, two other underlings darted towards her position and without warning, and she sliced their necks with a backhand swing, their bodies slowly falling to the ground, heads rolling about. She released a depraved smile, motioning for the others to come for her.

The two glanced at one another, charging towards her. Risa performed a backhand spring before they could reach her position. Kicking one of the minions from under his feet, she cut his hand severely. The other man attempted to strike her, but was blocked by her forearm and knocked to his feet. It wasn't long until he met his fate. The battle continued as Risa fought her way towards the end of the gloomy hallway, the hanging lights flickering sporadically. Before long, she had met her destination. The hallway was littered with dead corpses. "We've really developed this habit of running into one another." A familiar male voice called from behind her. Risa sighed, turning her head. "If you think you're taking this one from me, you've made a mistake." She replied. They glared intensely into the other's eyes. A sinister laughter caught their attention. In the distance, a shadowy figure stood.

The figure bolted down the remainder of the corridor, Travis and Risa darted after it. Every few feet, the figure would stop, checking to see if its two opponents were still following before sprinting once more. The wild chase continued several more feet. They were suddenly stopped as the figure mysteriously dissipated before their eyes. "The hell?" Travis stammered. They glimpsed at one another, racing out of the exit of the hallway. They were led outdoors, to same dry, golden brown field. Only a wide, straight road parted the grassy pasture. Several windmills were spinning lazily. While in the center of the road stood a towering machine, with a wild-looking man hanging onto the machine. He carried a turquoise and white guitar, his hair was teal and red, shaped into a Mohawk. The lower half of his face was covered with a purple and black leopard print bandana. His skin was a pasty white.

"Hahahahahahaha!" the man hooted, flipping on his machine. "You the 5th ranked guy?" Travis shouted at the man. "Yeah, I've been waiting for you!" he replied, Risa noticed how excited the man, named Letz Shake, was becoming excited at the thought of dueling it out. "I'm ready whenever you are!" the male retorted, shifting his body crazily. "Alright then, here I come!" Travis barked, the man merely cackled. There was a colossal brain situated at the top of the machine, it began to jiggle while the man mumbled orders. The contraption began to unfold itself, revealing several destructive gadgets. The man began to count down, the device caused the ground the shake violently, Travis and Risa held onto to one another.

They glanced at one another one more time, before charging towards the 5th ranked member. They had made it halfway, but were stopped immediately at the sight of a tiny black dot shooting down from the sky. As the object came closer, it split the machine in half, spewing blood in every direction. Risa and Travis backed off, anger ensuing them. The black dot had hit the ground, which was now a man dressed in a heavy grey trench suit with black studded sleeves stalked closer to them. They could hear the soles of his shoes echo across the field. "Travis Touchdown is it not?" the man asked in a heavy Irish accent. Travis's face began to fume, "Son of a bitch! Fuckin' snatcher! I had him!" he roared, gripping his beam katana tightly. The man ignored his retorts, replying, "Dance with me Travis." Travis eyed the foreign man up and down, stepping closer. "A beam katana," he paused, glaring at it with interest, "this is getting interesting. What do you go by?" he asked, the man was now a few feet away.

"Henry." He replied his voice reverberated. An expression of surprise flickered on Travis's face. "Henry?" he repeated, as if he'd heard this name before. "I don't know who you are and what you want Sir Henry, where are your manners? That was **MY** kill you naughty boy." Travis mocked in a faux Irish accent. Henry seemed amused, pointing his beam katana directly in his face, he retaliated "Shall we get this over with then? And don't hate me if I play a tad dirty." Travis crouched, positioning his beam katana for battle. Henry glanced over to Risa, eyeing her fully. "You might want to scurry m'lady, this battle is going to get much too hideous for a gorgeous woman such as yourself." He teased his accent thick, his eyes locked onto Travis. The men charged towards one another, katanas blazing. They were a meager inch away from one another before a piercing whistle called off the fight. Silvia, with Talbot and Weller stopped the fight. "That is enough!" she shouted, throwing Risa a dirty glance, she flicked her off.

"What?" Travis yelled indigently. "Travis, you and _Risa_ are both ranked fifth." She announced, ignoring his protest. She walked off, leaving Travis and Risa alone in the road. They didn't even notice that Sir Henry had disappeared.


	4. Heavenly Star

Risa and Travis were stumbling back to their motorcycles. Both in dead silence. Both still stunned at what had just occurred. The evening sky was beginning to take hold. They stopped at their vehicles, an awkward silence took over. "I don't fancy turning in this late." Travis stuttered, scratching the back of his head. "Is this you asking me to hang out with you?" Risa questioned, amusement coming over her. He blushed, peering at her over his glasses. "Well, I figured you wanted to blow off steam and whatnot." He suggested shyly. Risa laughed at him and nodded her head. "I'm sure I can take a night off." They hopped on their motorcycles, speeding off to the nearest bar/club. Despite the evening being young, the locals of Santa Destroy had a habit of partying early in the hours.

Risa tucked her beam katana in a hidden compartment before joining Travis at the front door. The techno was already booming, the club was dark, only to be illuminated by multicolor neon flashing lights. Travis and Risa rapidly sat at the bar, examining the crowd before them. It had been years since the last time Risa had seen this place. In her previous experience, she and Shinobu had forged false IDs when they were seventeen. They danced the night away until they were literally the only two left on the dance floor. Risa chuckled silently, thinking of the good times. She glanced to her side, watching Travis knock back a drink. They had only been there close to fifteen minutes. Risa ordered her own drink, scarfing it down. She slammed the small shot glass onto the table, jumping out of her seat and making her way to the crowded dance floor.

Travis observed her dancing freely as the music played, 'Heavenly Star'. He bit his lip when she made eye contact with him, motioning him to join her. Risa rolled her eyes, pushing through the crowd to where he was sitting; she leaned in, talking into his ear. "C'mon!" she begged, Travis refused. She stood back, gazing at him. Risa then swallowed a round of shots; the buzz began to turn into the beginning stages of drunkenness. Her face turned red as she giggled, tugging at Touchdown's hand. He reluctantly rose from his chair, his own drunken stupor in effect. Risa grabbed both of his hands, the world around her becoming hilariously blurry. While grinding her hips against Travis, her hands were wrapped around his neck, his arms holding her waist. Over the following hours, they awkwardly danced and drank, danced and drank. The cycle continued into well at 3AM.

Fortunately, they somehow made it back to Travis's two room motel and home, Risa was dragging him into his place, and she threw herself onto the small chair fixated in front of the TV. There was a tissue box sitting next to it. Once Travis left the restroom, the two tussled lightheartedly into his bedroom, falling onto the bed. Risa pushed the body pillow onto the floor. She kicked of her boots, ripped off her jeans and vest. Only dressed in her tank top and underwear, she was giggling the entire time. Risa could be classified as the happy drunk. Travis watched in shock, this was the first time an attractive female was in his house, let alone in his bed, half naked. He swallowed heavily, taking off his own pants and t-shirt. Only wearing boxers, he lay next to her staring at the ceiling. Risa took in a heavy sigh, turning to face him. "You know Travis," she began, "I think you're pretty cool." She giggled, covering her face. Travis chuckled, his body propped up by his elbow.

He opened his mouth, scrambling to find the words to say. "Explain something to me? Your older sister is Dr. Naomi. You yourself have a degree in something that could make loads, but you somehow end up becoming an assassin who does exotic dancing on the side. What the hell happened?" he inquired eager to know her life's story. Risa grinned, "You really want to know? I don't want monotony. That's what happened. Plain and simple." She responded. She knew Travis wasn't pleased with her reply. She interjected before he could pester her, "And what about yourself Mr. Touchdown?" He racked his brain, "What's there to say? I've always lived alone. My parents were murdered when I was a little kid." He told her, her face twisted and she patted his head. Travis lay back down on the bed, the room swimming. He could feel Risa scoot closer to him, they soon dozed off.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ!" Risa groaned, the sunlight piercing her eyes. Her hangover was much too great. She rolled over; the spot beside her was empty. She shot straight up, examining the tiny motel – it was dead silent. "Travis." She called out, but there was no response. She pushed the covers back, getting out of the bed to search the place. She couldn't find him. When she opened the door, the wind rushed in, and the light attacked her. She shielded her face, scanning the parking lot for the Schpeltiger Travis drove. There was absolutely no sign of him anywhere.

"_Where the hell did he run off to?"_ she pondered, just then her phone rang inside of the motel. She scrambled back into the house, snatching her phone from the bedside table. Silvia answered, "You're falling behind sweet child!" she joked; Risa could hear music softly playing in the background. "Silvia, what are you rambling about now?" Risa moaned, sitting on the couch. "Don't tell me!" she gasped, "Travis beat you the 3rd ranked assassin!" she stated, her accent blazing. "What?" Risa shrieked furiously, hopping off the couch. She hung up the phone before Silvia could answer.


	5. Pleather for Breakfast

She threw on her clothing, bolting out of the door. Risa leaped onto her motorcycle, speeding off to beat Travis in the race of the 2nd ranked assassin, Bad Girl. As Risa sped down the vacant boulevard leading to a deserted section of Santa Destroy Stadium, she stomped on the gas, flicking her wrist in order to jump over the blockade, barring her from the stadium parking lot. She finally reached the back entrance of the stadium, another obstruction in her way. Risa sighed heavily, once more riding high above the object. The inside of the entrance was dark, ominous as she strolled in the direction of the double metal doors, bursting through the doors, disclosing a pristine, lush baseball field. She could see several minions in particular v-formation, beam katanas prepared and ready. Risa licked her lips, sparing the unisex adversaries a depraved smirk. Locking her beam katana into the holster tightly, she stomped on the gas, rushing towards them.

Her bike mowed each of them down, tire tracks deeply imprinted. As she sped towards the center of the field, one began to shoot at her, causing her to dodge sloppily. She hit the brake, sliding towards the gun-wielding enemy, causing it to fly across the sports ground. Risa smiled victoriously, scanning the open space. She shut off her engine and crept slowly off of the bike. She could hear her soft footsteps resound noisily across the pitcher's mound. A hollow noise emerged from the center of the mound, catching her attention. She crouched, her elbow on her shoulder. With one hand, she dusted the orange-red dirt covering the mound, which concealed a hidden passageway. "_Hmmm_." She pondered, lifting the heavy door open. Sure enough, there was a duct that led to the basement. Risa carefully stuck her legs down the vent, sliding quickly down its path, tumbling violently onto a cold concrete floor.

She stood up, dusting the bits of dust covering her pants. A short passage was ahead, leading to yet another metal framed door.  
Risa nudged the door open, exposing a practice area with fake grass. The room had high ceilings, with rafts going up and down. The far left of the room was a makeshift living area. A small refrigerator, coffee table and loveseat, emptied beer cans were scattered around the area. A few feet from the area sat a giant pit, the appalling stench of decaying bloody bodies were filled the pits. She covered her nose, dry heaving simultaneously. In the middle of the pit was a conveyor belt running rapidly. Her personal tour of the room was cut short by the sound of high pitched laughter.

Apparently Risa did not notice the woman sitting, with legs spread wide open, on the loveseat. Her frilly, Lolita-style pink dress bounced as she ambled over to the conveyor belt. Her piercing white stockings, and seven inch stiletto heels, complete with a hair bow gave her the appearance of Little Bo Peep. Risa stood on guard, admiring the woman's Louisville Slugger, immensely stained with blood. The light located above the conveyor belt flickered green, a bound and gagged man, sitting on his knees rolled downward. Bad Girl positioned her baseball bat, yelling, "Homerun!" and wacked the man into the pit. She giggled in her evident victory. Soon afterwards, the belt spun even faster, the woman beating them into the pit one after another – the men gurgling painfully. Risa was stunned nonetheless.

"This is insane!" Risa commented, hands in her pocket, shuffling towards Bad Girl. She breathed heavily, her hand on her hips, "What a day. I need a drink. SO fuckin' thirsty. Hold on a sec'" She remarked, turning to meander towards the mini-refrigerator. With a thrust of the door, she snatched a cold beer (it was all the stocked the fridge), popping it open, chugging it down. "Damn, that's smooth. I feel alive again." She said. Risa watched on puzzled. Her opponent grabbed another, holding it out to her, "Wanna drink?" she offered hastily, obviously annoyed at the interruption. "I'll pass." Risa objected, clutched her Tsubaki Mk-III. Bad Girl sauntered to the loveseat, her legs wide open – Risa could see up her dress. "Pop quiz. Why am I such an angry bitch?" she asked, pausing for a moment, "seriously, no matter how many I kill it's all the same." Her expression grew dark; she clutched the beer can, squeezing its contents. "They're all going to pay. Yeah, with their fuckin' lives!"

Risa glared at the woman, finding her rant somewhat hilarious. Bad Girl caught wind of this, her anger rising, "You have no right to look at me like that. It's just a job. The daily grind." She roared and chucked the beer can across the room. Risa laughed, walking closer to her. "You're no assassin; you're just a perverted killing machine." "In essence, they're the same. Don't go on thinking you're better than me. You think you're hot shit. Who the fuck do you think you are?" She replied, hopping quickly from her seat and she grabbed her bat, lugging it in her face, "Come on!" she demanded. Risa scooted back from Bad Girl, giving ample space between them. A few moments passed as Bad Girl walked slowly, back and forth, dragging her bat behind her.

Risa stood waiting and ready as Bad Girl darted towards her, yelling numerous expletives. She rolled out of the way, Bad Girl smashing the ground. Taking advantage of her momentary weakness, Risa laid several blows to her adversary, making her stumble. The woman scurried away from her, repeating the same process. Risa made it a point not to rush towards her, feeling the sharp sting of the bat whamming her in the chest. "Fuck!" she wheezed, holding onto her ribcage. It seemed a miracle that they didn't snap in two. With this, Bad Girl skipped gleefully to the conveyor belt, the green light flicking on, minions were being shot. In quick action, Risa situated herself in front of the belt, batting them directly back at her. This continued for nearly five minutes, her arms growing tired. Luckily, having full grown men shot at her, made her feeble. Bad Girl ran from the conveyor belt to the center of the room, revealing a hidden flask. Risa stood confused and watched the woman front of her gulp down the mysteriously liquid, spraying it onto the bat.

Her eyebrows were cocked; her expression grew with amazement as Bad Girl, who now conjured a lighter, set the bat ablaze. Tossing the lighter into the pit, she swung imprecisely at Risa, pounding the ground. Risa noticed how fatigued the crazed female had become. After Bad Girl missed Risa once again, she kicked her to the ground, delivering one of the last blows. In a last ditch effort, Bad Girl had her pinned to the ground, Risa could feel the blazing heat near her face. "You fuckin' bitch!" she shrieked, Bad Girl laughingly insanely. The struggle continued for a few minutes before Risa delivered the final blow – a beam katana through the heart. But even with this, Bad Girl was still attempting to hit her. "Will you fuckin' die?" Risa screamed nervously, amazed that the woman was still moving. She gripped her katana, spinning it around. Bad Girl screeched loudly, slumping over to the ground beside Risa.

Risa was disgusted at the amount of blood that was plastered to her body. "Ugh, this will never wash out." She complained, getting onto her feet. "Congratulations. You are now ranked 2nd!" the recognizable voice shouted from the back. Talbot and Weller did their duty as usual, scooping up the dead body. Risa collected her prize money, ignoring the antagonizing Silvia.


	6. Rocket Surgeon

Risa massaged the back of her neck. Her body was still racked with misery nearly a week _following _her face-off with Bad Girl. She stood at the foot of the staircase leading to Travis's motel room. He was ranked first, she was ranked second. Despite forming a begrudging friendship, that would not prevent her from climbing to the top. The weather that day was bright, warm yet a chilly breeze flew through the air spontaneously every so often. The cars hummed sleepily down the street, she could hear the flag up above rustle. Walking gently up the stairs and turning the bend, a few steps later she was standing at the front door. She pulled out her beam katana, nudging the door open. The motel was silent; she could see Jeane, his pet cat purr while flicking at her toy.

"Anyone -." Her call was interposed as she heard the sound of Travis straining and mumbling in the restroom facing her. Risa gracefully tip-toed to the bathroom and kicked the bathroom door aggressively. "Damnit! Can a guy get some privacy?" he squealed, attempting to cover himself, "At least when he's taking a dump!" Risa snickered, blissfully ignoring the smell in the bathroom. "You have to stay on your toes. It's time to die Mr. First Rank." She teased, twirling her weapon aimlessly. Travis grunted. He was astounded at what was happening, "You gotta be shittin' me Risa!" The two glared at one another for what seemed forever. She was snapped from her fixation by the sound of shuffling in the living room. She peered from the corner of her eye, not finding anything, but was suddenly overwhelmed by the ephemeral sense of a blinding pain sprinting throughout her body.

Without any warning, Risa began to lose consciousness, the room fading into darkness; she felt her body slam against the cool marble floor. She fought to keep her eyelids afloat, but was succumbed to oblivion. "What the fuck did you do?" Travis shouted, hastily cleaning himself up. "Will you hurry up with that?" the Irish inflection moaned. "I'll be outside." He stated, leaving the motel.

* * *

The twilight of the evening stars shone across her face. The windy night air danced elegantly over her. Her eyelids fluttered, snapping open with attention. Her head was throbbing, her muscles were on fire. The room was dim and all she could hear was Jeane meowing off in the distance. Bringing herself to sit upright was a challenge as every inch of her body screaming in agony. Once decent, she could see spiky hair illuminated by the TV's light. The head glimpsed over its shoulder and turned back to the television screen. "I'm done." Travis remarked casually. Risa, who was now confused struggled to her feet and limped into the living room, peering down at Travis, "I'm done. I quit. I forfeit." He announced his hands on his chin. She was dumbfounded, "Why?" was all she could manage to speak. Even her voice seemed careworn. "It's not every day that you slice your half-sister into strips of meat or that the woman you've been chasing after this entire time is actually married to your Irish-American twin brother. It's a complete mindfuck."

"You're number one now." He stated, getting out of the loveseat and going into his room and shutting the door behind him. Risa stared at the door for a moment and turned to exit the motel, giving the building one final look before she left.


	7. We Are Finally Cowboys

The amber liquid tingled down her throat. Risa's dark and soothing environment began to slowly spin in a circular motion, everything blurred. Her face became warm and cherry red when she slammed the shot glass back onto the bar table. She slid deeper into her chair and tilted her head back, gazing at the ceiling. The events of the past two years had drained her. She no longer found much excitement in the United Assassins Association. With each level she climbed, the more elaborate and gruesome the execution style ranking fights became. This of course, wore her down immensely. The only positive being the monetary success she had gained and by this time she was ranked in the top five.

The lifestyle had become a heavy burden on her mentally and emotionally. She often times found herself wanting to break free of the cycle. Risa had begun to lose contact with her own emotions. Finding little sympathy for those she brutally defeated. She eventually quit her employment at the strip joint a week after the last night she had seen Travis Touchdown. Although she regularly had contact with Silvia Christel, she would never reveal Travis's location.

Risa drew an exaggerated breath, leaning forward and placed a hefty tip on the counter. She drunkenly stumbled out of the bar; the night air was crisp and chilly. The headlights were flickering ominously on the sidewalks. Risa swung her leg over her motorbike, leaning against the handlebars as she attempted to sober up before making her drive to Beef Head to return a game she had borrowed. Risa positioned herself properly on the bike, struggling to slip the keys into the ignition. Once the motorcycle had been started, she backed easily out of the parking lot, cruising literally down the empty street and around the bend.

Risa squinted her eyes as she tried to decipher the scene up the street. Something did not seem quite right. She sped up a few notches, parking her bike the sidewalk, the front door was hanging from its hinges. She was standing a few feet from the entrance, shocked at the sight. Shelves were piled on top of one another; CD's smashed to bits, posters ripped from their spots on the wall. Risa skulked through the mess, kicking aside the rubble. She ripped her eyes from the muddle, growing to an enormous size, and the blood scribbled on the wall. She continued to creep in the direction of the front desk, the computer screen flickering, she swallowed loudly; her throat and lips became dry. She was afraid to peer over the counter. Risa gazed quickly towards the ceiling, silently hoping nothing was behind it. Standing on her tip toes, she inclined over the counter and a sharp and loud gasp emerged, and she dropped the video game box she had been clutching, cupping her mouth.

Tears quickly formed as she stumbled away from the counter and nausea waved over her entire body. There, behind the counter lay the deceased, headless corpse of Bishop Shidux. She began to hyperventilate, terror hitting her with fury. Risa stumbled backwards, rushing to leave the shop. Risa got back onto her vehicle, speeding off, not once glancing behind her. A million thoughts buzzed in her mind rapidly.She could find no reason or justification for the murder of Bishop. While his girlfriend may have had her violent tendencies, even she wouldn't have gone so far as to murder him or decapitate him.

Moments passed as she pulled into the motel parking lot. She hadn't been there in nearly two years. Travis's Schpeltiger was parked lazily in the right corner. Risa flew off of her bike, sprinting up the stairs. Seeing Bishop's dead body had managed to sober her up quickly. Arriving at the front door, from the window, she knew that Travis was busy blasting Japanese techno music. She curled her fists, pounding against the door. "TRAVIS FUCKIN' TOUCHDOWN!" she yelled, her voice piercing through the music. Seconds came and went; she became impatient and began to pound the door once more. This time, she could hear him scramble out from his room, his feet stomping against the floor. "Do you know what fuckin' time it is?" Travis retorted, swinging the door open.

His jaw dropped with the surprise visit from his old companion and competitor. "Risa, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, shoving her in the motel and shutting the door behind her. Still shaken, she plopped onto the loveseat, her hands shaking. Travis had gone back to his room, throwing on a T-shirt. He was now at the bedroom entrance, leaning against it with his arms crossed. Risa ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes felt sore from crying so hard. "I haven't seen you in nearly two years." Travis commented and now the morning sun was now beginning to peak over the horizon. Risa spared Travis a fleeting expression; she couldn't seem to find the words to explain what she had just witnessed.

"Yeah, I know." She whispered weakly, unbeknownst to Travis, tears were falling freely from Risa's eyes. "When was the last time you spoke to Bishop?" she asked, still staring at the carpeted floor. Travis shrugged and responded, "I don't know, a few days ago." Risa clasped her hands in her lap, unable to look at Travis directly. The soundtrack of the Santa Destroy streets began to play. The birds began chirping, cars zooming by and the sounds of disenchanted school children walking down the sidewalk. Just as Risa opened her mouth, they both heard the screeching tires come to a halt outside of the parking lot, breaking her trance. "What the fuck?" Travis mumbled, making his way towards the window. Risa stood from the loveseat, following him.

He pushed back the curtain softly, spotting men dressed in all black in the parking lot. Without warning, Travis ducked from the window, pulling Risa out of the way as a heavy brown paper bag was chucked into the window. They both fell onto the bed, bodies pressed against one another. The two blushed, but their attention was soon turned towards the paper bag on the floor. Risa felt a sinking feeling come over her. Travis rolled off of her, crouching to the bag, his hands trembling to open it. Risa propped herself up, butterflies racing nervously in her stomach. Travis snatched the bag open, examining the insides. Travis pushed the bag away, scooting far from it. Risa knew exactly what it was – the head of Bishop Shidux. "BISHOP!" he screamed furiously.

Travis stood from the floor, pacing towards his bedroom desk, with a house telephone situated on the far left bottom corner. It began to ring before he arrived. Risa watched as he snatched up the phone, Silvia's French accent blaring loudly into the speakerphone. "I have set up the next ranking fight." She informed passively, obviously not concerned with the recent events. "Where are you? I don't care who the fuck it is. Just give me someone to fight" Travis mumbled darkly, his anger steadily rising. His fists were gripping the edges of the wooden desk. "You sound passionate! What's gotten into you?" Silvia teased, feigning distress. "Someone killed Bishop." Travis replied, throwing Risa a look of anger and despair. A moment passed, "I understand. Wait for me at Burger Suplex." She answered, her voice deepened. With this, Risa stood from the bed, nodding at Travis goodbye, but before she turned to leave, "Welcome back cowboy." She stated.

The death of Bishop Shidux successfully snapped her back to reality.


	8. Ghost in the Machine

In spite of the fact that Travis Touchdown had forfeited from the ranking two years previously, he had blazed through his opponents, finding himself within the top ten in a matter of weeks. His drive was to seek and destroy Shidux's murderer.

Risa gazed at the bright ceiling and the afternoon sunshine peering through the window; she was still residing in the apartment above her older sister, Dr. Naomi's, shop. Risa forced herself to get out of bed, her muscles screaming for relief. The previous night's ranking match against Alice Twilight left her body worn to pieces. She felt like the physical manifestation of Alice's lethargy towards the UAA (United Assassins Association). She herself felt like throwing it away, however she was now number two in the rankings. She scooted across the maroon wooden floor, flinging the door open to walk down the hallway that led downstairs. She ran her fingers through her hair, stumbling down each step, the light blinding her eyes.

"About time you woke up." Naomi moaned in a sing-song voice, tinkering with her most recent invention. Risa blew her sister off, hopping onto the counter facing Naomi's desk. She placed her tools onto the desk, turning her chair to face her younger sister. She positioned her yellow tinted and black rimmed glasses onto her head, crossing her legs. The sisters resembled their mother strikingly. Her voluminous shiny black ponytail swam down her mid-back. It was obvious Naomi wasn't a fan of much clothing considering she _always _wore her skintight yellow and black jumpsuit and black stilettos. To the average individual, she resembled nothing close to a scientist and engineer. Until you spotted the light blue work gloves she wore constantly.

The bizarre twist of events that ultimately landed Risa in the United States would be horrific to most. Months following her mother's divorce, Risa and Naomi were separated. Her father took custody of Naomi and her mother took custody of Risa. For sixteen years of her life, she resided in Okinawa, Japan. Living her life on the outskirts of society, somewhat considered a pariah. Not because she was biracial however, because she was the product and definite proof of her mother's adulterous affair. Her mother's parents even urged her to consider an abortion, warning her daughter of the trouble to come. They cut contact once Risa was born. Her mother, Misako Takahashi, worked a menagerie of odd jobs and went through a myriad of men, eventually landing a job as an exotic dancer at a strip club that American Marines frequented.

This left Risa at home alone. Her mother had worked at the strip parlor for nearly four months before she brought home the manager of the joint, Mr. Yamamoto. It did not take long before her mother ran away with her boss. Her father decided to adopt her. Though by this time, he had married and had three other children. All of which equally disapproved of their sister. As fate would have it, she would run into her sister in a local grocery store, Naomi was twenty-five at the time, quickly had Leroy sign over his rights. The two grew close, thus the reason Risa never thought to move out, despite amassing riches.

"That otaku is picking up his Peony. I will admit, I'm jealous that he wouldn't divulge in who made the Rose Nasty, but I enjoy _my _creations more." She purred, running her finger over the top grade beam katana. "So this is going to make the fight fair?" Risa yawned, stretching her arms towards the ceiling. Naomi chuckled softly, "Do you think that this time will be any different?" Risa shrugged, laying her back on the counter. "The last I heard, Henry has been solidified and is supposedly in Travis's motel." Naomi stated, wiping down the katana. "Didn't he get a divorce from Silvia?" she continued. Risa shook her head, "Correction. SHE got a divorce from him. With Henry factually frozen, what good will he do her? Hell, she flung their kid at her mother and continued with the UAA fuckery. You'd think she'd mature and you know…take care of her kid." Risa ranted, her frustration with the games Christel plays was evident.

"Well geez, thank you for that information. I thought you hated Henry? You sound like you're defending him." Naomi teased. Risa shot upright, glowering at her sister. "No, I'm just stating the facts. Yes, I continue to detest the man, who snatched a fight from me, nevertheless I pity him in his current situation. Rumor is, Dr. Letz Shake slaughtered him and froze his body. Strangely enough, his vitals are normal." The sound of sneakers scuffling against the slick concrete floor broke their conversation. Travis was standing at the entrance, his hands in his pockets.

"It's right on my desk." Naomi motioned, Travis walked over to her, sparing Risa a mournful glance. She nodded her head. A few moments of instruction passed as Naomi coached him in using the powerful beam katana. Travis tucked it away in its holster, handing over a large sum of money. "Don't have me waiting too long." Risa said, jumping off of the counter and going upstairs. Travis smirked, saluting her goodbye.


	9. The Hero's Face

The days seemingly trickled along for it was not unusual for elongated stretches of time to pass between ranking matches. With sluggish eyes, Risa mindlessly gazed across the city's scope. Evening began to set and Santa Destroy began to wind down. Cars drifted down empty streets, buzzed walkers stumbled lightly across the sidewalk. Risa eyed the Pizza Bat building located off center of the city. The shining, neon lights were what kept her from dozing into slumber – a commodity at this point.

The young woman contorted her body, lying on her back and pointing her toes to the sky. The sensation of rapid vibration nudged her closer to consciousness, turning her head and brushing her hair from her face, Risa yanked the phone, the caller stunning her. "_Shinobu?"_ she murmured, sitting upright quickly. Nervously, she answered the phone, "H-h-hello?" she stuttered, butterflies spinning quickly. There was no sound on the other line for a brief moment. "I didn't think you were still alive." Shinobu chuckled softly. Risa struggled to return laughter.

"It's been a few months, I've called you God knows how many times!" Risa quipped, clenching her teeth. Shinobu released an incensed sigh, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you where I was." She moaned irritably. Risa huffed, "Fine, whatever. What's the news?" "I'd rather tell you face-to-face. Meet me in front of the Burger shop." She stated, hanging up before Risa had the chance to reply. She shut her phone and gathered herself. Scooting towards the rooftop doorway, she slipped down the ladder, quickly grabbing her much needed belongings.

Risa stood in the misty wind for all of about ten minutes until Shinobu arrived. Her appearance was drastically dissimilar. While her pure white hair remained the same, her clothing was not. Shinobu's exterior had matured, her black, spaghetti strap ruffled dress, exposed her chest. Her black lace stocking and shining sword stood out. Risa was amazed.

"I'm assuming you're happy to see me?" Shinobu greeted, extending her arms. The two embraced. "Where in the hell have you been?" Risa shouted, catching the attention of the arbitrary customers. Shinobu silenced the woman immediately. "Look, I had to do a bit of training. I couldn't tell you where I was." She explained. Risa was not satisfied with this answer, but made no other sound.

Clarifying Risa's life details, the friends made up for lost time. Within moments, a sharp ringing and searing light shot through the curtains of Travis Touchdown's motel room. Both women gawked at the sight. "What the fuck is that asshole doing now?" Risa groaned, shifting from the chair, her beam katana at her side.

Shinobu and Risa sprinted across the street, skipping up the motel steps leading to Travis's room. With either woman on each side of the door, Shinobu kicked the wooden door with might, breaking it in half. "WHOA! Can you fuckin' knock?" he bellowed, rushing to fasten his jeans. "Ugh, Geez Travis, that's pathetic." Risa commented, waltzing into the room.

"What's it matter to you?" he retaliated. Risa walked to the source of attention, peering into his bedroom. A grey stone pod in the shape of Henry was in the beginning stages of thawing. Henry was seemingly mumbling violently in this slumber. "So, this is what happened to the poor fellow?" Risa mocked, flicking a piece of paper at the bed ridden man.

Her statement went ignored as Travis and Shinobu were locked in a heated conversation. "Look, it's just not right!" Travis plead, Shinobu held a defeated expression. Travis immediately dashed from the room, hearing his phone ring loudly. Shinobu sat on the small couch, her head in her hand. "So, what do we do with this ol' coot?" Risa shouted back to her.

"By the looks of it, he'll be completely unthawed in a few hours. Someone has to stay here and watch him." Shinobu informed, gazing at her own cellular device – which began to vibrate. Risa glimpsed over her shoulder, irritably. "Don't tell me that's Christel?" she mumbled. Shinobu merely glanced up and bobbed her 'fro. "Yeah, I'm sorry, but I have a ranking match." She announced, rising from the seat and exiting.

Risa turned her head back to the capsule taking up enormous space on the bed. "Well, it looks like it's just you and I." she sighed, kicking off her boots.

The hours trekked by rather slowly, daylight began to creep in the window. "Well if it isn't the lovely and ever so beautiful Risa Jenkins." Henry said, hovering over her. Risa jolted upright, her face meeting his chin. "What in the hell? How long have you been awake?" she quizzed, tossing on her jeans. Henry eyed her, "For quite some time now. His appearance was disheveled, as if he'd been in his own match. "Don't worry, there was no funny business." He assured her, fixing his clothing. "You might want to hurry, we've got business to take care of." He shouted at her from the living space.


	10. Hell on Bare Feet

Risa staggered behind Henry, for someone who had been congealed for nearly two years, he was quite prompt. "Wait, hold on!" Risa pleaded, struggling to maintain his pace. Henry simply chuckled delicately, taking a peek from the corner of his eye. "Hurry it up now, dandelion, we've got issues in which need taking care of." He urged, crossing the vacant grey street towards the Burger Suplex. Risa abruptly halted once Henry swung around a metallic silver chair, hastily seating himself. "Sit." He sharply commanded, motioning to the opposite chair.

Risa tentatively seated herself, anxiously watching the man who doubled as an enemy. Henry slid back to some extent, examining his companion before beginning his statement, "You'd be quite surprised what one can hear in such a predicament as I encountered…" he paused, glancing towards the vivid afternoon sky for a moment, "for the sake of the situation, I suggest that Travis, you and I proclaim a temporary armistice." Risa's face twisted wildly at the suggestion.

"Wait, what?" she hissed, attempting to keep her voice low. "I don't even know what the circumstances are, you could do well as to enlighten me?" The man released a charming grin, his hands on his chin, rubbing it trivially. "You do have a grand point there m'lady." He admitted. Risa and Henry glared into the other's eyes for an instant. "Travis has yet to discover this, but _I do know_ who murdered Bishop." He declared grimly. Risa leaned in closer to his proximity as she tried to drink in the knowledge. "Jasper Batt Jr." he stated before Risa could badger him.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly. "You're lying. That whiny shrimp of a kid?" she jeered quietly. Henry merely nodded. Risa scanned the area, "So… do you have anything in mind?" she questioned. The man huffed. "Frankly, no I do not. However, I also know that my scheming ex-wife of mine _did _place Batt Jr. as first rank – on purpose." The man disclosed aggressively. She puffed, rolling her eyes. "Figures." The woman replied. The couple smirked at one another, basking in a balmy friendly affection. "I want you to lie back however. I want Travis to have this one," he noticed Risa's protesting expression, "Although I do know that Shidux was a friend of yours as well, Travis deserves this one."

Crossing her arms swiftly, Risa glowered at Henry. "Why in the world would Jasper Batt Jr. send his cronies to murder Shidux, I don't comprehend this." Risa asked, changing the subject. "Travis has killed many a person in his assassin days; it comes as no shock that someone exacts their revenge. It's a risk those in the UAA take. He did murder Batt Jr.'s father and two brothers." He clarified in further detail.

Gazing at the human seated obverse from her, she loosened her arms. "What," she stammered, "what happened while you were frozen in carbonite…" her voice trailed away calmly. "That jackass, Letz Shake, took his own sort of revenge on me due to his belief I had forced him into an inferior body. A few short minutes before I was luckily unthawed, I had just defeated Mimmy, in a dream-like state. Quite the battle it was." He answered curtly. A cool silence stagnated between them.

Risa adjusted her shirt, jerking at it faintly. "Since you've asked me to practically forfeit, what do you suppose I do in the meantime?" she begrudgingly questioned, biting her bottom lip. "I have a plan for that, buttercup. Don't fret." Henry assured mockingly, his thick accent wavering.

Becoming indignant at his vague response, Risa stood, fixed her clothing and turned to cross the still empty street. Henry snapped to his feet, yanking her arm, "Meet me at the Pizza Batt Tower, on Saturday evening." He informed with a begging stare. Glancing to the right of her momentarily, she nodded in agreement. "Yes. I'll be there." Slowly tugging her arm from his grasp all the while gazing into Henry's glooming eyes, she strolled through the road, entering the motel parking lot. Before she mounted her motorcycle, Risa stole a glimpse back to the Burger Suplex, astonished to find that Henry had miraculously dissipated.


	11. In Giving Every Man His Due

The clammy evening air stifled her ability to breathe and her hair was plastered to her forehead. Glimpsing over her shoulder, Shinobu was in no better of a condition as the fro began to heavily frizz. "Henry had better have a damn good plan for us to be out here." Shinobu griped, fidgeting with her hair. "I'm sure he does." Risa assured feebly. The women had been waiting impatiently for nearly forty-five minutes. They knew that Touchdown was already murdering his way to the top of the Pizza Batt Tower. Spine-tingling yells could be heard from each floor he decimated.

The minutes seemingly lagged by before there was any sign of Cooldown. "Thank fuckin' God!" Shinobu screeched, her heels clacking against the gravel pavement. "Can you not hold your horses?" Henry scolded, swiftly walking past her and towards the double doors leading into the building. "Follow me ladies." He ordered passively. Risa could see a serrated black bag in his hand and this curiously jolted her senses.

Henry led them to the extravagant first floor, each wall lined with exclusive shops that all led to an overgenerous, multinational food court. The scene would have been gorgeous, with the exception of fresh beheaded and mangled corpses littering the floors and blood splattered against the marble walls. This sight was nothing new to the three.

Henry came to an immediate stop, placing the jagged black bag on a wooden bench in the midst of the walkway. "Jasper Batt Jr. isn't a very clever fellow, actually he's amazingly predictable." Henry announced, pulling out the contents. Risa and Shinobu glanced at one another in amazement, on the bench sat three beheaded replicas of Silvia, Henry and Shinobu. "What the fuck is that shit?" Risa stuttered, efficiently creeped. The edges of Henry's mouth began to form into a smirk. "As I was saying, the first rank is predictable and his buddies aren't the brightest in the box either. It did not take me long to discover how Jr. was going to play with Travis' emotions. This is a replica of _his_ replica per say." He explained.

Risa began to shuffle back and forth. "So, you're telling me that Batt Jr. is playing a mind game, just for the thrill of getting revenge. That sounds pretty clever to me." She refuted. Henry became clearly irritated. His arms crossed tightly transversely on his chest. "Risa, that is beside the point. What I'm attempting to get to is that this opponent has three forms and I know that he'll need a bit of help. What I have you two here for is back up, in case things get nasty whilst I'm away." He retorted.

"Hold up, back up for what?" Shinobu proclaimed loudly, her voice reverberating from the walls. Henry rolled his eyes, "In case anyone **ELSE** comes in after I leave to help Travis!" The trio glared at one another for quite some time, "Fine. Hurry it up. He's been up there for nearly an hour and I'm sure he'll need your help soon." Risa agreed, nudging Henry towards the escalator. He bobbed his head, rapidly skipping on the machine and turning out of sight.

Shinobu and Risa stared at the area Henry once occupied. "Do you really think more adversaries will show up?" Shinobu mumbled. Risa jerked her head from the view, "I'm not sure, but we ought to be on our toes." She replied, tugging her beam katana from its holster.

The moments quickly danced onward as both women stood in position. Off in the distance, the rumbling of a hefty chainsaw echoed throughout the building. "You ready, amiga?" Risa inquired. Shinobu bravely nodded, both darted forward, skipping each step on the escalator and landing on the second floor. Crouching back to back, swarms of heavily armed men approached them carefully. Malicious cackles, grumbling moans and shifty breaths were audible from within the crowd. "On the count of three, we attack, alright?" Risa quietly commanded, pressing the button to release the lasers of the Rose Nasty.

"_One…two…three." _She whispered. On this mark, Shinobu and Risa leapt forward, assailing upon each enemy. Risa avoided each spatter of blood that emerged from her fallen foes. Shinobu was just as grandiose as to avoid ruining her own clothing. The crowd dissolved quickly and piles of bodies began to form. Risa doubled over, visibly out of breath after her last kill. She wiped the sweat from her face with her forearm. "Jesus, I've never had to plow through that many people in my life." Shinobu moaned, popping her neck. The tower began to rumble greatly as the sound of crumbling walls ricocheted towards the ground outside.

"This has got to be all of them. I swear. How long did that even take us?" she asked, shoving her weapon in the harness. Her friend shrugged, breezing past her and towards an elevator. "Let's see what's going on at the top." She suggested and Risa followed behind her.

* * *

"Whoa!" the duo exclaimed, stepping over loads of defeated men. Astounded with the sight, hand in hand, they made their way to the deep oak double doors. The sounds of fighting blared loudly. "They've been going at it for quite some time, don't ya think?" Risa quizzed, adjusting her leather black boots. "It's the first rank fight; it'll take a long time." Shinobu answered adjacent from Risa. "It'll be over soon." she stated and not a second this escaped her mouth did the final scream emerge from within the other side of the doorway.

Without haste, they stumbled into the vicinity; the room was now an open space. Everything had been devastated. A strong wind blew through. They scrambled to the edge of the area, peering down, watching Travis fall towards the street in horror. Just as they glanced at one another did they notice Silvia magically catch him before the fatal plunge. Risa and Shinobu observed as the pair drove away, slowly becoming dots within the distance. Rise swore she noticed Travis look back at her.


	12. Oshimai

Risa Jenkins spent another forlorn night in the local bar. She sipped on her choice amber liquor, reveling in its warm welcome. The bar was practically empty, Risa peered her surroundings with her head in her hands. Months after the final battle everything crumbled. Travis inexplicably evaporated; Shinobu and Henry had also made their own impulsive, unspoken departures, leaving Risa in the city. Now that her former occupation discontinued, she found herself flooded with buried emotions.

This night, was like many others. She would drink her beverage and piddle the night away. Though, this evening would be unlike the others. As she leaned forward, an affectionate hand brushed her mid back, startling her. Sitting upright, she found the cause. "What's a pretty lady like yourself drinking her life away in this dumpy old bar?" the man pursued with an amiable smile. Risa huffed, ignoring him. "I don't blame you for being a bit grumpy, but I deserve a better greeting than that." He continued to joke, plopping directly next to her.

"I haven't seen you in nearly four months. What do you want me to say?" she droned, her words a bit slurry. Henry shrugged, ordering his own liquor. "Everyone went their separate ways and I'm a tad surprised that you're still in this rendition of Hell." Risa laughed shortly, placing the small glass on the wooden bar. "Where would I go? I've no desire to do much traveling at the moment. Possibly someday, just not now." She spoke, stealing a glimpse of the striking man. "Ah, that's no way to speak." He reproached, placing the payment on the bar, the bartender rapidly scooped it up.

"Let's get out of here." He stated, beginning to rise from the barstool. Risa watched on as he shuffled to the door. She decided to follow the man.

* * *

Another two years trickled before the well known Travis Touchdown stepped another foot in Santa Destroy, California. The city had changed noticeably, a numerous amount of soaring skyscrapers were situated close to another and even at night, did the once former sleepy city, vibrantly bustle. With hands in his pocket, Travis allowed the fresh sight to sink in, etching a permanent image in his mind. "My, how things have transformed." He noted as he walked past the parking lot of his earlier residence. Once, he was the sole tenant of the motel. Now, the place was packed with countless college-aged adults.

Travis chuckled, walking onward towards his true destination – Dr. Naomi's lab. The ripened warehouse had not changed much. It was still tucked away, rust and vines growing on its sides. The sound of sneakers scuffing the floor alerted Dr. Naomi, who was as always, busy working on her latest project. "Well hello, you otaku. Long time no see." She greeted unreceptively. "I told you I'd drop by." He reminded, taking out his Tsubaki-Mk III and placing it on the metal desk. "It bode me well, but I believe it's time for an upgrade." He said, scanning the spacious room.

"As long as you have the money." Naomi curtly replied, holding out her hand. Travis nodded, shuffling in his pocket for the bills and shoving them into her open palm. Travis leaned against the adjacent desk, his hands in his pocket. "So, how's everything?" he mindlessly rambled. Naomi glanced towards him temporarily. "To be frank, I just came from Ireland a few days ago. I'm still a bit worn out." She announced. Travis shifted slightly, leaning forward. "Ireland? Who the hell is in Ireland?" he asked.

"You don't know? That's where Risa is. Not soon after you ran off with Silvia did _everyone else _make their exodus from this God-forsaken city." She told him. Travis fidgeted a bit more, perceptibly curious. "Shinobu goes between Japan and Mexico, picking up her father's ex-occupation and well, Risa is…" her voice faded. Travis' eyebrows cocked noticeably from the rim of his glasses. "Well, you ought to know. She's in Ireland with Henry." She revealed, bewildered with Travis' reaction. "What the fuck?" he screeched. Naomi placed her tools on the desk, beside the weapon.

"How the hell do you not know what your own brother has been up to these past two years?" She grilled as her hand was on her hip. "I don't keep in touch with the guy. We aren't glued to the hip." He shouted back. "Obviously not, but you ought to know that. They ran into one another over at the old bar after your ass ran off with Silvia and you can guess the rest." She snapped. "Besides, how's that working out for ya?" she teased, turning back to the beam katana.

"Horribly, but that isn't my concern at the moment." He retorted. Naomi feebly chuckled. "What did you expect? After what she did your brother, did you expect anything better?" His face began to turn beet red. Noticing this, she continued, "They ended up getting married and moved back to Ireland. We're they've been raising good ol' hell ever since. You'd be quite surprised how compatible they are. Seeing as though I believed he was just as much of a nuisance as _you_ were."

Travis slumped on the desk, shell-shocked and honestly envious. "And here we are." Naomi announced, clearing the desk and handing over his new device – an ASURA-6. Travis weakly grabbed the machine from her grasp, waggled his head in salutation. As he ambled towards the exit, the engineer called out to him, "Good luck with that Touchdown." This was the final time they saw one another.


End file.
